The Workbench Life: Baby Blogs
By Ron Marr for The Workbench Life
All too frequently the remote control you most need was eaten by your dog or is lodged in the depths of your couch’s inner frame. But you can leave those days behind (as well as that pile of six remotes on your coffee table) by using your smartphone as a universal remote. Not only that, but your phone can even set your DVR to record, even if you’re on the road.
Thanks to some new apps, you can transform your smart phone into a universal remote at little or no cost with a remote app.
DVR Recording Made Simple
The major cable and satellite providers understand that money grows on smartphone apps. Subscribers may download free apps that enable searching, channel changes and purchase of on-demand content. Recordings may be programmed and scheduled from virtually any location. For instance:
Comcast: Offers the Exfinity TV app for Android and iOS platforms.
DirecTV and Dish Network: Apps are compatible with Android and iOS, not to mention Palm, Blackberry, iPad and Windows Phone 7.
Time Warner Cable: 2013 listings support Android, iOS, tablets, Roku and even the Samsung Smart TV.
And while you’re downloading smartphone apps with DVR recording skills, don’t forget to grab those from Roku, Netflix and Hulu.
From Smart Phone to Smart Remote
Almost every manufacturer of A/V equipment offers a remote control app that allow your smartphone to control the specific device purchased. In most cases the apps function over your home Wi-Fi network and don’t require line-of-sight or an IR (infrared) Blaster.
Using your smartphone as a universal remote — controlling all your devices — requires a bit more equipment (and cost). You’ll need a remote control app (usually free) and the converter that transforms a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signal to IR (never free). The market is constantly changing, but hot products presently include:
Dijit: The Dijit app requires Griffon’s $80 Beacon converter, which will control not only your TV and receiver, but also your Blu-ray and Xbox.
iRule: The iRule software starts at $50, and the hardware runs as much as $300. But it’s more of a whole-home remote as it can control everything from your thermostat and lighting to your home theater.
Zmart Remote: Its miniscule 5-ounce dongle plugs directly into the audio jack of your smartphone. This tiny thing holds over 200,000 control codes from virtually every manufacturer of A/V devices.
Best of all, it will only set you back $20.
Ron
Marr is a long-time woodworker and luthier whose
work can be seen at marrsguitars.com. He is also a frequent
contributor to The Workbench Life.
